Greece Itinerary: 7 Days in Greece for First Time Visitors

A popular 7 day Greece itinerary combines time in Athens, Santorini and Mykonos. Here's a local's guide to planning the perfect Greece itinerary 7 days.

7 Day Greece Itinerary

People often ask how long they should stay in Greece for. My answer is as long as you can, as Greece has a lot more to offer than you think. I've lived here for nearly 5 years, and feel I've still barely scratched the surface!

After setting up a design your own trip feature on the blog, I came to realise that a significant amount of people were requesting information for spending 7 days in Greece.

I also noticed that the most popular combination, was the Athens – Santorini – Mykonos one.

As a result, I created this Greece in 7 days itinerary to help people plan their Greek vacations.

1 Week in Greece

If this is your first time in Greece, it makes sense to go to the most famous destinations, i.e. Athens, Santorini and Mykonos.

Keep in mind that these Greek destinations are quite popular. So, whilst you will be visiting well known and incredibly beautiful places, Santorini and Mykonos in particular offer less of the ‘authentic' Greece.

I've tried to create this Greece 1 week itinerary to minimise your travel time, and maximise your overall experience. It includes visits to ancient sites in Greece, beaches, and how to see the incredible Santorini sunset.

First though, how should you get around? The logistics of travel between Greek islands in 7 days is something worthy of deeper consideration.

Logistics and transportation for your Greece 7 days itinerary

Before you start planning your week in Greece, you should understand the logistics of travelling around Greece and the Greek islands.

Greece has several groups of islands, most of them being in the Aegean Sea.

Mykonos and Santorini both belong to a group called the Cyclades, and they are reasonably close to each other. As they are popular destinations, they each have an airport as well as a port.

As such, whilst Greek island hopping by ferry is the ‘old way' to get around, flights are certainly an option.

How to get from Santorini to Mykonos

Santorini and Mykonos are connected by a number of boats, running on a daily basis. There are many types of boats, the fastest one taking just under 2 hours and the slowest one around 4 hours.

If you only have seven days in Greece, time is important, so you might prefer to choose the fast boat. At the same time, the journey on the slower boat is generally more pleasant. Something to consider.

How to get from Athens to Santorini and Mykonos

Athens, the capital, is connected to both Santorini and Mykonos by flights as well as several types of boats departing from Pireaus or Rafina, the two ports close to Athens.

It takes anything between 5 and 10 hours to get to Santorini on a boat, while getting to Mykonos takes anything from just over 2 hours to about 5 and a half hours.

A flight from Athens to the islands and vice-versa will take you just under an hour.

Is it best to fly or use the ferry?

With all of the above in mind, if you are trying to plan your Greece itinerary for 7 days, your best bet is to spend less time getting from A to B, and more time enjoying the different places.

If you book well in advance, you can get good deals for flights to Mykonos and Santorini – in fact, some boat tickets are a lot more expensive than flights booked in advance.

Arriving in Greece

Unless you are arriving on a direct flight to Santorini or Mykonos, chances are that you will be landing in Athens.

My suggestion is to find the next available flight to Mykonos or Santorini, whichever one suits best your budget and your timetable, and go to the first island straight away, leaving Athens as your last destination.

This is so that you can have some time to unwind on the islands before hitting the capital. Also, there is the rare (but still possible) scenario of getting stuck on one of the islands because of bad weather or a last-minute boat strike.

Greece Itinerary 7 Days

In short, your Greece itinerary for 7 days could look like this:

Athens > flight to Mykonos > 2 days in Mykonos > boat to Santorini > 2 days in Santorini > flight back to Athens > 3 days in Athens.

If you want a more relaxed vacation, you could just choose two destinations, and skip either one of the islands or Athens.

However most people seem to prefer to visit as much as they can in their Greece itinerary for 7 days. I don’t blame you!

7 Days in Greece – 2 Days in Mykonos

If I had to choose, I would marginally prefer to go to Mykonos before heading to Santorini. The reason being, that Mykonos is more geared towards beaches and nightlife, whereas Santorini has more to do in terms of day activities.

When in Mykonos, you can rent a car and go around the island, visiting the most famous beaches like Elia, Platis Gialos or Ornos.

At night, there are several bars and clubs to choose from.

Mykonos has been a party island for many decades, so they definitely know what they are doing!

How to get from Santorini to Athens

From Santorini, you can fly to Athens. If you are there in high season, book your tickets as early as possible, as they tend to go up in price closer to the time. Some people however prefer to take a ferry.

Santorini’s airport is tiny, but it gets super crowded, so arrive with plenty of time.

7 days in Greece – 3 days in Athens

With 7 days in Greece, staying in Athens for 3 days might sound a lot, however the capital has plenty to offer in terms of history, archaeology, museums, walks, as well as shopping, if that’s what you are into.

However, some people might prefer to spend less time in Athens, and spend an extra night on one of the islands – it’s all up to what you are after so there is no “right” or “wrong” way of planning your 7 day itinerary in Greece.

What to see in Athens

When you are in Athens, the obvious sights to see are the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis Museum. While these can easily be done in just one day, I definitely do not recommend it if you want to do them justice.

Other highlights in the capital include the Parliament and the change of the Guards at Syntagma Square, the National Archaeological Museum, the Benaki Museum, the food market, and a walk on Areopagitou Street.

If you are lucky, you can also catch a performance in the Ancient Herodion theatre – check for tickets well in advance.

Staying an extra day in Athens also gives you the option of taking a day tour. The most popular day trips from Athens include Delphi, Mycenae, and the Temple of Poseidon.

To learn about detailed Athens itineraries, take a look at these popular posts:

Pin this 1 week Greece itinerary for later

Comments

I love your 7-day itinerary, but would it work for a trip in early March? I’m wondering about the weather on in the islands that time of the year. I’ve also heard the ferry transportation options may be limited. Any insight would be appreciated!

Hi Kay,
I feel early March would be a little too early to get the most out of Mykonos. It would be a great time to visit Santorini though (start of season, and fewer people), and anytime of year is good to visit Athens!
Although I normally recommend people to stay much longer in Crete (which is a fantastic island), if you do want to travel in March, you might consider swapping Mykonos out for Crete.
The other option, might be instead to choose Santorini, Athens, and then mainland Greece. Places like Meteora and Delphi won’t give you that island feeling, but they really are amazing!
In terms of transport, all those islands are well connected throughout the year, although you may find that the timetables for Spring next year have not been set. Keep an on on Ferryhopper for your options. Also, you can fly between these places from Athens, which may not be as expensive as you think.

I’m off to Santorini at the end of August (v good deal on flights). I have seen your 7 day itinerary and looks fab. However l’m in a bit of a dilemma as l fly into Santorini and fly out of Santorini, but want to do Mykonos and Athens. How do you advise l plan my time and maximise the time l have there
HELP?

Hi,
If you have a direct flight to Santorini, and assuming you have just 7 days or there abouts, I would suggest skipping Athens and seeing it next time.
For options on getting between Santorini and Mykonos, you’ll need to take the ferry. Check out ferry routes with Ferryhopper (by far the easiest way to book your ferry tickets and see available routes).
You could also visit some of the other nearby islands when in Mykonos on day trips.
If you have longer than 7 days, look at these options on how to get from Santorini to Athens.

Landing in Crete Heraklion from venice late 11:30 PM but we have a hotel in Chania (Lefka Ori hotel). Busses seem to end at 12 midnight and cab for 4 of us with 4 carry on bags is 165 euros any ideas on a less expensive rid to our hotel. Here for 2 days then to Santorini (2 days) then to Mykanos (maybe, 2 days) then to Athens 2 days then home. any ideas on how to get to these places efficiently and not to expensive??? 2 adults and 2 18 yr olds

any help greatly appreciated for us last minute travelers (July 22 – July 30)

Hi Linda,
I hope you are having a good day – holiday transportation aside!
I’ve had a look, and actually I think at 165 euro you got a very good price on the cab!
(The reason it is expensive, is that Chania is 2 or even 2.5 hours drive from Heraklion, and there are surcharges for driving after midnight).
In terms of buses – I actually think they may stop at 21.00 (unless it was a private transfer bus).
SO, I think these are the options you have:
1. Hire a car at Heraklion airport and drive to Chania – It would be cheaper, and you’d get the use of the car throughout your stay.
2. Cancel the hotel for the first night in Chania and stay in Heraklion. This also gives you the benefit of seeing a little of Heraklion in the morning (castle, port), as well as the archaeological site of Knossos.
3. If you can’t cancel, do the math on very cheap rooms in Heraklion + bus fare to Chania, and see if it’s cheaper than the cab. I had a look on Booking, and there are cheap rooms available.
In terms of getting to the other islands, you’ve chosen the most expensive islands in Mykonos and Santorini at the most expensive time of year unfortunately. So, any cheap flights most likely have gone a long time ago.
My suggestions are to look on Ferryhopper for ferry crossings.
Also, I would suggest that no matter where you end up last, to arrange flights back to Athens rather than a ferry – just in case of ferry delays or strikes. Better to be safe than sorry!
If this all sounds too much, also know that Crete is an island you could easily spend a week, or even a month on and not scratch the surface. So if moving around so frequently sounds too much, you could always plan a road trip in Crete instead.
Further reading that may be useful:How to get from Crete to SantoriniHow to get from Mykonos to Santorini – 2019 Travel GuideHow to get from Athens to Mykonos

Hi,
If you are travelling in December, I wouldn’t recommend you do an island hopping trip such as this one, as the weather won’t be good enough.
Instead perhaps a mainland Greece trip might be better.
I’ve got an article which lists 10 different 10 day itineraries – maybe something in there will be useful: 10 days in Greece

Dave, my siblings and spouses (10 of us) are planning a late May 2020 trip. We want to do Athens justice but our grandparents were born on Chios, and we want to spend at least a week there. Any pointers?

Hi Connie,
That sounds like a fantastic family trip!
You’ve got lots of time to plan, so I’d suggest two things.
Firstly, definitely sign up for my Greek travel guides using the form in the article!
Secondly, please come along and join our Facebook group. There may even be people in the group who live in Chios who might help with any questions you have. the group is here – Real Greek Experiences

Hi Dave – help! We are 6 women (2 of Greek heritage) trying to plan a 2 week trip to Greece in October 2019. Initially our plan was to do Athens to Nafplios and use that as a day trip headquarters for 3 days. Mycenae, Epidavros and anything else in the area that we find out about. (originally I voted to go from Athens to Hydra and take a ferry to Ermoni and rent a car to go to Nafplio but some aren’t keen on that). Our second week would be spent in Gorani (the village where the 2 Greek’s father was born) and use that for day trips to Mystras, Monemvasia. (husbands would be joining for the second week). Now a couple of our group have suggested we go to Delphi and Meteora, which takes us in a completely different direction. Trying to make this all work out but we don’t seem to be making progress. Can you assist with what might make sense? (Some of us are staying a 3rd week to see some of the islands). Any help you could give is greatly appreciated.

Hi Mary,
It sounds like a big group trip you are putting together there – Good luck!!! 😀
You’re right that Delphi and Meteora take you the wrong way, but Delphi could still be doable – it just depends how much travelling you want to do.

If you are planning to rent a car in Athens, you could also do it yourselves. It might be a long day, but theoretically you could drive from Athens to Delphi, see Delphi, and then drive either back to Athens or to Nafplio the same (very long!!!) day.

A combination of Delphi and Meteora as a 2 day trip is also available which might appeal to some of your group. Find more here – Delphi and Meteora.

Let me finally suggest signing up for my free guides – you’ll find lots of useful information being sent out to you! You can sign up here – Free Greece travel guides

Dave’s Travel Pages has a number of affiliate links placed within the travel blog. If you decide to buy items through these links, you will be helping Dave to fund this site and perhaps the next adventure. More importantly, it doesn’t cost you anything extra. Win win – we like that!